SURGE Emerging Leaders Program

The Mission of the SURGE Emerging Leaders Program is to identify, equip and train passionate leaders for Kingdom Ministry within Adult & Teen Challenge.

SURGE ELP is an eighteen-month, intensive leadership training program designed to invest in our rising leaders and prepare them to expand God’s Kingdom. In this program, students learn how to lead like Jesus. We challenge our students to draw strength from God and grow as people and Christian leaders.

Five primary outcomes comprise the SURGE ELP: Identity, Stewardship, Communication, Leadership, and Biblical Foundation. These outcomes are cultivated in our students in various ways. There are seven foundational courses in which students engage with various inputs as a cohort and participate in weekly discussion classes to process the material they are working through. These seven courses are covered in the first twelve months of the SURGE ELP.

Once students complete the foundational courses, they choose elective courses that will equip them in their specific context within the ministry. Some available tracks are Ready Now Recovery, Admissions, PSNL Certification, GSNL Teaching, and Development & Fundraising. Our Academic Mentor/Proctor follows and supports students’ academic progress, while our Organizational Mentor offers spiritual care and influences cultural alignment in our students.

2024 Graduates

2023 Graduates

2022 Graduates

2021 Graduates

2020 Graduates

SURGE History

SURGE was launched in July, 2017. Pastor Bruce became the SURGE Director and Sister Ellen the SURGE Facilitator, teaching classes and do the administration of the program. The SURGE program met a need right from the start, with students from all centres in the Adult and Teen Challenge of Central Canada ministry as well as from BC Adult and Teen Challenge centres applying.

Pastor Bruce & Ellen Ford – Founding Ministers of SURGE ELP

I felt like a prisoner to addiction, walking to death row. I had tried to break free many times. It started as a way to cope but became what consumed me. I lost my daughter, my family, and my health. Here, I found hope, love, life, and family. I completed the program and went on to join the SURGE leadership program. Everything I have ever been through, I now get to use for good, walking alongside others on their healing journey.

My life in addiction was chaotic. I didn’t have a sense of purpose or hope. I didn’t know what reality was anymore… I just made things up in my mind and I lived in fear. Today, I have joy, freedom and a community of support and I’m achieving goals!

On a dark path of substance use—marijuana, alcohol, and later, cocaine. My addiction escalated quickly, and I was stuck in a cycle of hopelessness and relapse. I tried to quit on my own. I’d manage to stay clean for a few months, but I’d always fall back into using. I felt trapped. At Adult & Teen Challenge, I discovered a God who loves me despite my failures, and I began to heal. Today, I’m proud to say I’m a full-time staff member at Adult & Teen Challenge, helping others who are walking the same path I once did.
“There’s hope, and it’s within reach for anyone who feels like there’s no way out.”

I struggled with drinking and partying, not realizing I needed help. My biggest challenge was being honest with my loved ones. Ready Now Recovery gave me the space to speak openly, first with the group and then with my friends and family. It showed me that I’m not alone—others are facing the same struggles.

I started smoking marijuana and doing cocaine, I quit working to grow and sell drugs. Soon after I joined a gang and survived a gang attack where my arms and legs were broken and I was stabbed multiple times. I realized many of my friends were either dead or in jail and I started thinking about my life. Since coming to Adult & Teen Challenge. My life changed so much, I’ve found Freedom thanks to God and I’m excited to help others!

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Head Office, Winnipeg MB
83 Kate St. Winnipeg MB R3A 1J9
888-822-9992

Our mission is to offer a full range of addiction, treatment and recovery services with compassion and excellence.

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At Adult & Teen Challenge of Central Canada, we respectfully acknowledge that our work takes place on the traditional territories of many Indigenous peoples. In Saskatchewan, we operate on Treaty 4, Treaty 5, and Treaty 6 lands, which are the traditional territories of the Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, and Métis peoples. In Manitoba, our services span across Treaty 1, Treaty 2, Treaty 3, Treaty 4, and Treaty 5 territories, home to the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Dene, and Métis peoples. In Ontario, we work on the lands covered by Treaty 3 and Treaty 5, traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, and Métis peoples.

We honor the enduring connection of these Nations to the land and commit to walking in partnership, respect, and reconciliation. Through our programs, we aim to foster healing, growth, and transformation, while acknowledging the rich history, and contributions of Indigenous peoples across these lands.